The week blurred into repetition. Classes, study hall, pledge errands. Thursday night they were hauled out to the Annex again for another line-up. Same shouts, same trash cans, same barked orders. Ethan barely remembered the details afterward, just the raw throat and bruised shins.
“I think this is the first time we’ve talked since Homecoming.” Mark said as he passed the bowl to Ethan.
“Speaking of, you notice Catherine hanging around the house that night?” Mark asked, smoke curling toward the ceiling. “What did you think of her and her Kingston Crew?”
Ethan hesitated. “Yeah, I saw them. They seemed cool I guess, though Eli did seem to act weird around her.”
“Eli’s kryptonite,” Mark laughed. “They’ve been doing this dance since high school. I’m glad you saw it too. She’ll keep him spinning all year, and he’ll let her.”
Ethan didn't answer. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the fan, trying not to picture her laugh at Eli’s shoulder. Catherine wasn’t just another girl—she seemed to represent everything Eli was supposed to want, everything Ethan felt he couldn’t compete with. Soon Mark was snoring and his mind drifted to Tyler. He tried to bring up the last night of the road trip, but Tyler just shrugged him off. “Relax man, it’s cool.” being the extent of the conversation. Tyler was comfortable in his own skin, cuddling with another guy didn’t make him gay. Eli on the other hand, he was beginning to feel sorry for.
By Friday, the rhythm shifted back into routine. For once Ethan was actually looking forward to the weekend and hanging out at the house. The last two weeks had been a whirlwhind, Mark being the only pledge brother he had had time to compare notes with after the road trip. That afternoon, Ethan showered, shaved, and put on a new button-down and fleece before reporting to the house. Pledge duties were the same, but some brothers had decamped to see their girlfriends. Other than snagging beers and doling out cigarettes, it wasn’t too bad.
It wasn’t a football weekend. Campus felt quiet, half-asleep. By nightfall, Delta Chi still managed to fill with noise—music echoing down the halls, girls drifting in from Waverly and Kingston—but by midnight the crowd had thinned. Brothers disappeared upstairs with girlfriends, doors closing behind them.
Ethan was on his way out when Eli’s voice stopped him. Eli leaned against the wall, cigarette in hand, eyes catching the low light. Ethan hesitated by the door, uncertainty flickering through him. His pulse quickened as he caught Eli’s gaze, sensing something had shifted between them.
“Hang back.”